SRI SATHYA SAI INSTITUTE of HIGHER LEARNING (Deemed to Be University) Dedicated with Love to Our Beloved Revered Founder Chancellor
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SRI SATHYA SAI INSTITUTE OF HIGHER LEARNING (Deemed to be University) Dedicated with Love to our Beloved Revered Founder Chancellor Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Dedicated with Love to our Beloved Revered Founder Chancellor Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Vidyagiri,Copyright Prasanthi © 2018 Nilayam by – Sri 515134, Sathya Anantapur Sai Institute District, Andhra of Higher Pradesh, IndiaLearning All Rights Reserved. The copyright and the rights of translation in any language are reserved by Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (Deemed to be University). No part, paragraph, passage, text, photograph or artwork of this book should be reproduced, transmitted or utilised, in original language or by translation, in any form or by means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or by any information, storage and retrieval system, except with prior permission in writing from Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Vidyagiri, Prasanthi Nilayam - 515134, Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, India. First Edition: April 2018 Content, Editing & Desktop Publishing by: Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning www.sssihl.edu.in Printed at: Vagartha, NR Colony, Bangalore – 560019 +91 80 22427677 | [email protected] SUMMER COURSE IN INDIAN CULTURE & SPIRITUALITY 9-11 June 2017 | Prasanthi Nilayam Preface The Summer Course in Indianof Summer Courses as early as the Culture & Spirituality serves as an 1970s. It was and still is an effective induction programme to all students way to inspire young minds to follow and teachers of Sri Sathya Sai a life of good values and character. Institute of Higher Learning with an objective to expose students of the The event—which took place from University to the rich cultural and the 9th to 11th June 2017 at Prasanthi spiritual heritage of Bharat. It orients Nilayam—marked the beginning of students into Bhagawan Baba’s the academic year for students and educational philosophy and gives teachers of all the four campuses them deep, first hand insights into of the university, as well as Sathya how they can directly benefit from Sai Mirpuri College of Music, this unique institution. Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School, Prasanthi Nilayam (Class XI At universities across the world, and Class XII) and Sri Sathya Sai induction programmes go beyond the Gurukulam English Medium School, academic and practical requirements Rajahmundry. Over 2500 students of university life and include social and 200 teachers participated. elements, that more often than not, disperse the focus, time and energies The Format of students. Each day is typically split into the At Sai educational institutions, morning, afternoon and evening integral education (which includes sessions. the focus on a connection with the Higher Self) is a close confidant The morning sessions consist of talks to the academic curriculum. It is in by teachers and research scholars of line with the vision of the Founder the University. Typically, they entail Chancellor, Bhagawan Sri Sathya key insights and lessons from the Sai Baba, that spiritual and empirical ancient Indian scriptures, spiritual education must go hand in hand. personalities and concepts. The In fact, He had initiated the series sessions also feature a short video 6 show on Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai The Book Baba. This book chronologically represents In the afternoons, students and the entire programme of the teachers from all four campuses Summer Course in Indian Culture have breakout sessions where they and Spirituality 2017. This includes discuss teachings and lessons from all the speeches, interactive sessions Bhagawan Baba’s discourses. This such as the Parayanam sessions year, the main themes were Mama (experiences with Bhagawan Baba), Dharma: Message of the Gita (2 Aug panel discussions and presentations. 1984) and Karmanye Vadhikaraste Every effort has been made to keep (13 Sep 1984). Key moral messages the first person narrative intact, so from these are creatively presented on that the reader can appreciate the the final day before the valediction. personality of the speaker and the purport of his or her talk. The evening sessions on the first two days of the event consist of a music The reason for publishing the programme by students of individual proceedings of the Summer Course in campuses, along with veda chanting the form of a book is threefold. First, and bhajans at the Sai Kulwant Hall. it functions as a valuable reference publication for the staff, students and Perhaps the highlight of the day visitors of the University. Secondly for students are the post-dinner — for the public at large — it serves Parayanam sessions. These sessions as a wonderful introduction to Indian consist of talks by alumni or teachers culture and spirituality. Lastly, and of the University who share the first- perhaps most importantly, the book hand personal experiences they had is glittered with personal incidents with Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba that the speakers have had with and the profound impact they had in Bhagawan Baba, which, in many shaping their lives. The valuable and instances highlight Bhagawan’s profound life lessons and the sheer teachings on several topics. love that Baba had for His students and devotees is vividly communicated through these intimate sessions. 7 CONTENTS SSSIHL Summer Course 2017 DAY 1 | 9 June 2017 SAI, THE ESSENCE OF SWEETNESS Dr. T Ravikumar | 86 WELCOME NOTE DAY 3 | 11 June 2017 Sri Sanjay Sahni | 10 INAUGURAL ADDRESS PANEL DISCUSSION – SAIENCE OF DIET AND HEALTH: ANCIENT | 13 Sri K Chakravarthi WISDOM AND MODERN PERSPECTIVES BENEDICTORY MESSAGE Moderator: Dr. (Miss) N Srividya | 94 | 27 Bhagawan Baba VALEDICTORY ADDRESS A RAINBOW OF SAI WISDOM Prof. S Siva Sankara Sai | 113 Quiz on Bhagawan Baba’s Teachings | 30 PARAYANAM SESSIONS - Experiences OUR CULTURE, OUR STRENGTH with Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Sri Sounak Dey | 32 ANANTAPUR Campus Sessions OUR BELOVED SWAMI 118 Sri D Sai Vamshi Krishna | 36 Dr. (Mrs.) Dwaraka Rani Rao | Prof. (Miss) N Niranjana | 131 BHAGAWAN BABA ON EDUCATION Prof. R Gangadhara Sastry | 42 PRASANTHI NILAYAM Campus Sessions 141 DAY 2 | 10 June 2017 Sri Prem Anosh | Prof. R Gangadhara Sastry | 160 FACULTY PANEL DISCUSSION – WORK, WORSHIP & WISDOM BRINDAVAN Campus Sessions 47 Moderator: Dr. Srinivas Srirangarajan | Sri Sanjay Sahni | 184 PATHWAY TO LASTING SUCCESS- MUDDENAHALLI Campus Sessions THE GOLDEN SAI WAY 198 68 Sri Amey Deshpande | Sri Pushkaraj Gumaste | Dr. C N Sundaresan | 204 PERSPECTIVES ON THE BHAGAVAD GITA Miss Aswathy Suresh Babu | 78 TYAGEINAIKE AMRUTATVA MANASHUHU Sri Anand Vardhan K | 99 Day 1 | 9 June 2017 Welcome Note Sri Sanjay Sahni Controller of Examinations, SSSIHL Adhyatma Vidya Vidyanaam - among all branches of knowledge, I am spiritual knowledge. Thus declared the Lord in the Bhagavad Gita. The soul of the education is the education for the soul. Bhagawan’s model of education is not a secular model of education. It is neither a spiritual model of education. It is a beautiful blend of the secular and the spiritual, like the two wings of a bird or the two wheels of a bicycle. We have been eyewitnesses of the passionate educationist that He was. Aham Sathya Bodhaka - I am the teacher of truth, He declared. Throughout His interaction with students, faculty and the administrators of the University, we found that there was nothing too small which didn’t attract His attention, or nothing too big where He had some suggestion to give to help us on the issues at hand. He was a hands-on Chancellor. Therefore, when we have this Summer Course. It is as much an exposure to all our students about the wonderful cultural and spiritual heritage of India as it is a tribute to Bhagawan’s utsaham (enthusiasm) to mould His students as ideal citizens of the world. Bertrand Russel, British philosopher and a Nobel Laurate in Literature, once said, “Man is a credulous animal, it is important that he should have good things to believe in, otherwise, he will be satisfied in believing bad things.” Bharatiya samskriti, from ancient times, has given us everything that we need to be equipped with for life; and to provide it to the youth of the country, Bhagawan started His educational institutions and way back in 1972, He initiated the Summer Course in Indian Culture and Spirituality. It was an opportunity for the youth of the country to come and stay with Bhagawan, and imbibe His message by seeing Him and listening to Him. I recall at this juncture, that wonderful morning, the inaugural day of the 10 Summer Course in the year 1990. That was the first time, Bhagawan initiated the Summer Course exclusively for students of the University. He was speaking at the college auditorium at Brindavan. There was a professor in Economics, Prof. Bhanoji Rao, from the National University of Singapore, sitting in the audience. He was one of our guest speakers and an ardent devotee of Bhagawan. Listening to Bhagawan, a thought occurred to him. “Bhagawan, I have heard this message of yours so many times, why are you conveying this message again today to us?” The inaugural function got over and we all made a beeline to the hostel dining hall. It was a beautiful moment to dine with Bhagawan, both in the morning and in the evening. Prof. Bhanoji Rao and Late Sri G V Subba Rao were sitting on the table. He came up to them and without looking at either of them, He expressed, “Good things have to be told again and again, again and again, again and again.” This is the message of every scripture of every religion. If you take the Vedas, the Bible or the Koran, there is so much of repetition because the scriptures are like a mother to us. The mother knows that the child is not going to be a receptor all round the clock, and so she keeps on repeating the message so that, when the child is receptive, that day the message will go straight to the heart.